


Not So Empty After All

by ArielSakura



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Family Feels, Fluff, Harry Needs a Hug, Implied Mpreg, M/M, Nostalgia, Slice of Life, Touch Of Humor, empty nest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-02-18 14:40:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18701641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArielSakura/pseuds/ArielSakura
Summary: Harry has just set his youngest on the train to Hogwarts and wonders; just what is he supposed to do now?





	Not So Empty After All

**Author's Note:**

> Written in response to a challenge by the facebook group: [Hermione's Nook](https://www.facebook.com/groups/hermionesnook/) for their 'Rare Pair Fest'  
> The prompt was: Harry/Blaise - Empty Nest, minimum 1k. 
> 
> I want to thank [atheandra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/atheandra/pseuds/atheandra/works) for betaing for me. Any mistakes left over are mine.
> 
> I also want to thank [noxsoulmate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/noxsoulmate/pseuds/noxsoulmate/works) for the awesome aesthetic!

 

Harry sat in the window seat of their lounge room, idly flipping through pages of a photo album. The others all stacked haphazardly around him. His fingertips brushed gently over baby Cadmun’s face. The photo was twenty years old now, but Harry could still see the fine bone structure that belonged to both his husband and his eldest son.

He turned the page and smiled at the next set of pictures. Their eldest child, Thalia, had been four at the time and obsessed with the camera her Aunt Hermione had given her for her birthday. They showed Blaise changing Cadmun’s nappy. The photo had been taken at just the right moment and angle, that you could see Blaise curse as he dodged one of the hazards of changing a boy.

Harry chuckled and continued to thumb through Cadmun’s book. Smiling wistfully over happier times. He paused at the photos of Cadmun’s sorting. The young boy standing proud and grinning wildly as his robes turned red and gold. Harry could see the colours of his daughters house from where she had taken the picture from her table. The students around her wearing robes of green and silver.

The album ended with a picture of Cadmun and his partner Leilani at their engagement party. The pair were utterly besotted with one another and Blaise had a betting pool going with Ron about who would produce babies first, Cadmun and Leilani, or Hugo and Scorpius. The two of whom had recently tied the knot.

That had been quite the family drama when their relationship had first come to light. The pair had approached Harry and Blaise, their respective godfathers, and asked for help to break the news to their own fathers.

Ron had thought it a grand prank at first and had been in tears of laughter for a full minute. Before his face had gone grey with realisation and he fainted. Very unseemly behaviour for the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Upon waking, he assured Scorpius it had nothing to do with him and everything to do with his ‘pointy ferret of a father’.

Draco had taken it rather well if Harry’s husband was to be believed. Harry was of the opinion that going into a state of catatonic shock for over an hour wasn’t really taking anything well. But Blaise assured him that it was simply Draco’s way and that actually, it was the best reaction they could have hoped for.

Harry reached for another album. Opening it to find the pages filled with their family holidays. The pictures spanned every vacation he and Blaise had taken together, it started with their honeymoon to tropical Saint Lucia, where he and Blaise had lazed in the sun, swum with herds of hippocampi and explored beautiful coral reefs in between bouts of passionate sex.

Harry still couldn’t look at certain pictures from their honeymoon without blushing. The knowledge of what happened just prior, immediately after, and in one particularly misleading photo, in progress, always present in his mind.

He flicked through those quickly, only lingering on a select few before he came to their first holiday as a family.

They had taken Thalia to see the murals of Atlantis; the carvings of rock shone in different colours as the sun’s rays hit the surface and they changed throughout the night and day. Their artistic daughter had loved the display and in later years, had moved to the hidden settlement to open a studio and recreate the ways of Atlantean art that had been lost to time and the sea. She had met her partner Kyran there and they had given Harry and Blaise their first grandchild a year ago.

Little Harian was so named as he had inherited his grandfather’s messy black hair and bright green eyes. Same as his mother. His skin reflected his mixed heritage, from his parents and Blaise too.

Harry continued to flip.

The holiday pictures showing more children as the years went by. The trip to Waitomo Caves in New Zealand with Thalia, Cadmun and Roisin. The kids had loved the way the caves were lit up. Cadmun had thoroughly enjoyed the fact that worm bums could glow and had asked for weeks if they could make his bum glow too. Thalia and Roisin had simply thought them pretty and ignored Cadmun’s increasingly gross observations and questions. And if Harry and Blaise had spent the better part of the boat ride snogging while their children gaped at the ceiling, who was to know?

The glowworm caves and their subsequent trip around New Zealand blended into the tour of the druidic circles located throughout Great Britain they had taken when Rowan turned three. There was a trip to Mystery Lake in Canada where Nessie had retired after her stint in Scotland ended, and then the sailing tour of the Bermuda Triangle where Harry had found himself pregnant for the fifth time.

Apparently, it hadn’t been seasickness that had kept him vomiting over the side of the ship the entire time.

They had to cut that trip short as Blaise had been too worried about Harry’s condition. He’d lost quite a bit of weight in the two weeks they had been away and he had eventually been diagnosed with ‘Core Sickness’ which had caused him to be almost entirely bedridden for the duration of his last pregnancy.

The Healers had said it was caused by the baby taking too much of the bearer’s magic while they were developing. Harry had been put onto a modified diet and been given very strict instructions about what he could and could not do. The list of things he could had been very short. He couldn’t even bath by himself, lest he tired himself out.

Blaise had taken the Healer’s orders very seriously and by the twentieth week, Harry was about ready to throttle someone. But anytime he became too upset with his situation, his hands would drift to his stomach and he would remember why they were doing it.

That pregnancy had been brutal in comparison, there was a heightened sense of worry that never dissipated that hadn’t been present in the others. And the heartburn was a bitch.

But soon, and too early for the Healer’s liking, little Aidan had been born.

He was six weeks premature, and he and Harry both had to spend over a month in a specialised ward at St Mungo’s, but they had eventually sent them home to a frazzled Blaise and excited older brothers and sisters.

The kids had all been in awe about how small Aidan was, even Thalia who remembered how small Cadmun, Roisin and Rowan had all been.

In later years, that reverence had turned into protectiveness and had culminated in the entire family seeing Aidan off at the platform. Every one of them had a separate piece of advice, tidbit or request; and Rowan was charged with making sure Aidan was looked after in Hogwarts, seeing as he was entering his fifth year himself and a prefect to boot.

They had all stood and waved on the edge of the platform until the train could no longer be seen. Eventually, though, the glossy crimson streak had faded into hills and even the smoke had dissipated.

There had been hugs and assurances of ‘see you soon’ and ‘ta for now’s, but everyone had left to continue their day to days. Thalia to her studio and family, Cadmun and Leilani to a possible location for their upcoming wedding. Roisin to the shop with Blaise. She had decided to take up the Zabini family trade and was working in the upscale antique shop.

Though, Harry had been rather glad when she had decided on the shopkeeper route and not the procurer route like her grandmother. Cordelia Zabini had some skewed ideas about the legal acquisition of goods.

Left standing by himself on the platform, Harry had apparated home and after wandering the empty house, settled down with the albums and a pot of tea.

Harry heard the floo go as he was making his way through their second holiday album. The first had literally burst at the seams before Blaise had admitted Harry might be right and they _might_ need another. He looked up to see Blaise walk through the green flames. He blinked and looked at the clock on the mantel. It was later in the day than he had realised.

Blaise brushed soot absentmindedly from his frame as he walked towards Harry and Harry took that moment to silently observe his husband of twenty-seven years.

The years had been kind. To them both really. Blaise was a little thicker around the middle than he had been in their youth, but he was still trim and made Harry’s mouth water when he stripped down. A few lines now creased his face, but they showed a life full of love and laughter. His hair was still solid black, they weren’t that old yet, but Harry still couldn’t help but feel like they were entering a new phase in their lives.

Blaise looked up and grinned when he saw Harry, the smile turning whimsical and knowing when he saw the photo albums piled around him.

“Rosie owes me two lock-ups,” he said in way of greeting.

Harry snorted and shook his head as Blaise made his way over.

“Budge up.”

Harry shifted on the seat, making room for Blaise behind him. Arms and legs folded around him and chased away the chill Harry hadn’t noticed that had begun to set in the air.

“What are we looking at?”

“Holiday photos.”

Blaise hummed as he tucked his chin onto Harry’s shoulder and Harry could feel his grin against his cheek, “the Dragon Reserve was fun.”

Harry snorted, “You only liked it so much because Caddy fell into dragon dung.”

“He was being a right little twat that day, swanning about and grousing about how he had better things to do, it was karma.”

Harry shook his head again. Cadmun had been fourteen at the time and had been taking the whole, ‘teenage allergy to authority’ to new heights.

They spent the next few minutes exclaiming over various photos and laughing together. Pointing out particularly fond memories and favourite photo’s to each other. Letting the memories come forth and fill them with nostalgia and good cheer.

Slowly, the album came to a close and Harry sighed heavily. Blaise’s arms tightened briefly around his waist and his soothing voice rumbled as he spoke quietly into Harry’s ear.

“It’s not the end of the world you know. And Rowan and Aidan will still have holidays at home. Aidan’s only just gone to Hogwarts, he’s not leaving forever for a good long while.”

Harry sighed again, “I know, I know. I just, it feels like we are on a turning point. Heading into a new direction. Thalia’s twenty-five now, she’s even got her own kid. Caddy’s moved out and about to be married. Roisin’s living above the shop and I’m pretty sure she and Lysander are getting serious-”

“Luna’s boy?”

Harry nodded and continued his diatribe, “-Rowan and Aidan will need us less and less. What do we do now?”

Blaise’s arm tightened around Harry before he answered. “We keep doing what we’ve been doing, I’ll keep working at the shop, you’ll keep doing all of those things you don’t think are actual jobs-”

“I _don’t_ have a job,” Harry interrupted.

Blaise hummed, “So what _do_ you call Monday’s at the Wheezes, Tuesday’s with the Harpies, Wednesday’s and Friday’s at ‘Lovemander’s Creature Reserve’, and Thursday’s babysitting?”

Harry crossed his arms over his chest as his now second nature remark to Blaise’ age-old teasing about his ‘lack of occupation’ sprang to his quirking lips.

“Helping out friends.”

“Uh huh, to continue, we’ll have Sunday’s at the Weasley’s and Saturday brunch with my sister and her family, my mother and her latest mark. We’ll have family night every Thursday, like always, and the rest of the -very little- time we’ll have us.”

Blaise pressed a kiss behind Harry’s ear.

“Maybe we can go back to Saint Lucia-”

Harry huffed a laugh and tilted his head back on Blaise’s shoulder to look at him with amusement.

“You just want another picture of me leaning over the edge of an infinity pool.”

Blaise’ eyes sparkled with mischief, “Maybe I want a picture of _me_ on the edge of the infinity pool. Matching set of circumstances… matching set of pictures… we can hang them over the fireplace.”

Harry’s laugh was cut-off by Blaise’ kiss and he allowed himself to be overtaken by it. Losing himself in his husband for just a little while.

Thalia’s voice called through the floo, breaking them apart.

“Dad! Papa!” she called.

“Coming, honey,” answered Harry as he extracted himself from Blaise’s hold and making his way to the floo.

“Would you babysit this weekend? Kyran’s friend managed to score some extra tickets to watch Aunt Ginny take on the Kestrals.”

“Of course,” Harry replied easily. “Bring him around in the morning and then pick him up on Sunday if you like, make a night of it.”

Thalia grinned at him, her smirk so like her fathers.

“House feeling empty already huh, Daddy?”

Harry faux-scowled at her.

“Don’t come to me for tea and sympathy when it’s your turn.”

Thalia laughed and blew him a kiss.

“Thanks, Dad, see you Saturday.”

“See you, Saturday,” Harry agreed before closing the connection.

He turned to see Blaise winking at him.

“Looks like the nest isn’t as empty as you thought, luv.”

Harry just rolled his eyes fondly at his husband and accepted the easy kiss Blaise had for him before heading into the kitchen. Blaise following him to open the wine and keep him company. Just as he always had.

Just as he always would.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed!  
> Love Ariel
> 
> ~*~*~*~
> 
> Thalia ~ to blossom ~ 25  
> Cadmun ~ warrior ~ 20  
> Roisin ~ little rose ~ 18  
> Rowan ~ rowan tree ~ 15  
> Aidan ~ little fire ~ 11


End file.
